Giving is sometimes described as a two-sided coin. Side one is the obligation for Christians to be generous. This obligation flows out of God’s ownership of all things.
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for He founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters” (Psalm 24:1-2).
Since He is the owner, we are the managers. “Moreover, it is required of stewards that a man should be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2). We have an exciting obligation to invest our Master’s resources in things that touch His heart.
But it is side two of the coin that we may miss entirely: the opportunity to be generous.
For many Christians, giving is limited by our understanding of God’s Law, with the focus on “How much am I expected to give?”
Yet the Bible says our giving should flow freely from our share in God’s grace, with the focus on “How much more may I give?” Indeed, Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). How can this be? Let’s examine the benefits of generosity.
Understanding
First, generous givers gain a deeper understanding of God’s grace and nature. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).
Randy Alcorn wrote, “Gaze upon Christ long enough and you’ll become a giver. Give long enough and you will become more like Christ.”
Joy
Second, generous givers experience joy through giving. “We want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity” (2 Corinthians 8:1-2).
Freedom
Third, generous givers experience freedom through giving. “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money” (Matthew 6:24).
The paradox of wealth is that the more you have, the less free you are. This is proved true by the wealthiest king in the Bible, Solomon: “The sleep of a labourer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep” (Ecclesiastes 5:12).
This also is proved true by the one of the wealthiest men in America. John D. Rockefeller said, “I have made millions, but they have brought me no happiness.” Christian financial expert Ron Blue said, “The amount of money you have has nothing to do with financial security or contentment. The secret to financial freedom and joy is directly linked to one thing: the willingness to be generous with what you have.”
Purpose
Fourth, generous givers experience purpose through giving. “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God” (2 Corinthians 9:11).
Grace-centred giving gives us a higher purpose for managing our resources. We understand that God raises our income not to raise our standard of living but to raise our standard of giving.
Rewards
Finally, generous givers reap eternal rewards through giving. Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).
Jesus is not against investments…just bad ones. Our giving on earth impacts our experience in heaven. Winston Churchill said, “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” Let’s make sure our lives experience God’s grace, joy, reward, freedom, and purpose through grace-inspired generosity.
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